tasman’s voyage of discovery.

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there are a thoufand doubts and fufpicions, fo that to talk of difcovering or fettling it muftbe regarded as an idle and empty project: but, with refpect to them, it is a thing perfe&lywell known ; its extent, its boundaries, its fituation, the genius of its feveral nations, andthe commodities of which they are polfeffed, are abfolutely within their cognizance, fothat they are at liberty to take fuch meafures as appear to them belt, for fecuring theeventual pofiefiion of this country, whenever they think fit. This account explains at onceall the myfteries which the belt writers upon this fubjedt have found in the Dutch pro-ceedings. It fhews why they have been at fo much pains to obtain a clear and diftindtfurvey of thefe diftant countries ; why they have hitherto forborn fettling, and whythey take fo much pains to prevent other nations from coming at a diftinft knowledgeof them : and I may add to this another particular, which is, that it accounts for theirpermitting the natives of Amboyna, who are their fubjects, to carry on a trade to NewGuinea , and the adjacent countries, fince, by this very method, it is apparent that theygain daily frefh intelligence as to the produdt and commodities of thofe countries.Having thus explained the confequence of Captain Tafman’s voyage, and thereby fullyjuftified my giving it a place in this part of my work, I am now at liberty to purfue thereflections with which I promifed to clofe this fection, and the hiftory of circumna-vigators, and in doing which, I fhall endeavour to make the reader fenfible of theadvantages that arife from publifhing thefe voyages in their proper order, fo as to fhewwhat is, and what is yet to be difcovered of the globe on which we live.

21. In fpeaking of the confequences of Captain Tafman’s voyage, it has been veryamply fhewn that this part of Terra Auftralis, or fouthern country, has been fully andcertainly difcovered. To prevent, however, the reader’s making any miftake, I willtake this opportunity of laying before him forne remarks on the whole fouthern he-mifphere, which will enable him immediately to comprehend all that I have afterwardsto fay on this fubjedt.

If we fuppofe the fouth pole to be the centre of a chart of which the equinobtial isthe circumference, we fhall then difcern four quarters, of the contents of which, ifwe could give a full account, this part of the world would be perfedtly difcovered.To begin then with the flrlt of thefe, that is, from the firft meridian, placed in theifland of Fero. Within this divifion, that is to fay, from the firft to the nineteenth de-gree of longitude, there lies the great continent of Africa, the mod fouthern point ofwhich is the Cape of Good Hope , lying in the latitude of 34 0 15' fouth : betweenthat and the pole, feveral fmall but very inconfiderable iflands have been difcovered,affording us only this degree of certainty, that to the latitude of 50° there is no landto be found of any confequence ; there was, indeed, a voyage made by Mr. Bovet inthe year 1738, on purpofe to difcover whether there were any lands to the fouth inthat quarter or not. This gentleman failed from Port l’Orient July the 18th, 1738*and on the 1ft of January, 1739, difcovered a country, the coafts of which were co-vered with ice, in the latitude of 54 0 fouth, and in the longitude of 28° 30'; the va-riation of the cotnpafs being there 6° 45' to the weft.

In the next quarter, that is to fay, from 90° longitude to 180°, lie the countries ofwhich we have been fpeaking, or that large fouthern ifland, extending from the equi-nodtial to the latitude of 43 0 10% and the longitude of 167° 55', which is the extre-mity of Van Diemen’s land.

In the third quarter, that is, from the longitude of 150° to 170°, there is very littledifcovered with any certainty. Captain Tafman, indeed, vifited the coaftof New Zea-land , in the latitude of 42 0 10'fouth, and in the longitude of 188° 28': but befidesthis, and the iflands of Amfterdam and Rotterdam , we know very little; and there-

2 ^ fore,